Media and Information Literacy

Module No.5: Media and Information Sources

Introduction:
Citizens require new competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) in order to
participate in and contribute to society. An understanding of these terms is necessary before
engaging and must first of all begin with a clear comprehension of the concept of information. By
that, getting credible and reliable from a reputable source takes a lot of considerations. This
lesson will give us the idea of how important is indigenous media and other sources of
information and the skills on evaluating information.

Learning Competencies:
1. Compares potential sources of media and information
2. Interviews an elder from community regarding indigenous media and information resource

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, you are expected to:
1. Identify different sources of information
2. Determine the accuracy, reliability, and value of information by questioning the source of
data, limitations of data gathering tools or strategies, and the rationale of the conclusions.

Lesson
Media and Information Sources
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As a responsible user of media, you should demonstrate an understanding of the values and
differences of the sources of media and information. This lesson is all about Media and Information
Sources. As SHS learner, you need to examine the reliability, accuracy, value, authority, and
timeliness of the different sources of media and information. Further, you should know how to
compare potential sources of media and information.

Source of Media and Information

Information can come from virtually anywhere — media, blogs, personal experiences, books, journal
and magazine articles, expert opinions, encyclopedias, and web pages — and the type of information
you need will change depending on the question you are trying to answer.
But, what was the basis for your choice of information source?
A. Indigenous Knowledge (IK)
is an unconventional source of information. It is also known as local knowledge. According
to Warren (1991), it is the knowledge that is unique to a given culture or society. It may
contrast with the international knowledge system generated by universities, research
institutions and private firms.

Examples for IK: Muyongs : Ifugao’s traditional land-use zoning system.

This knowledge is then be transfer through Indigenous Media(IM).

IM is owned, controlled and managed by indigenous peoples in order for them to develop and
produce culturally appropriate information in the languages understood by the community by
utilizing indigenous materials and resources, reflecting community needs and interests, visions
and aspirations, and independent from vested interest groups (Indigenous Media, Freedom of
Expression and Right to Information: ASEAN Scenario, 2014).
Indigenous Media’s characteristics are as follows:
 oral tradition of communication
 store information in memories
 information exchange is face to- face
 information are contain within the border of the community

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B. Library
It is a place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials (such as books,
manuscripts, recordings, or films) are kept for use but not for sale. It existed because of the
birth of the printing press in which it is expected to select and provide content area which are
easy to access. Its main role is to organize and provide access to information. It is labeled as
“steward of good information”. No longer static of limited to purely collecting physical materials
for archiving, but has extended to acquiring new modes of providing information such as the
use of digital sources and facilities that utilize media.
Types of Library
1. ACADEMIC LIBRARY - It serves colleges and universities.
2. PUBLIC LIBRARY - It serves cities and towns of all types.
3. SCHOOL LIBRARY - It serves students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
4. SPECIAL LIBRARY - These are in specialized environments, such as hospitals,
corporations, museums, the military, private business, and the
government.

C. Internet
It is a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication
facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols.
Unlike similar information found in newspapers or television broadcasts, information available
on the Internet is not regulated for quality or accuracy; therefore, it is particularly important for
the individual Internet user to evaluate the resource or information. Keep in mind that almost
anyone can publish anything they wish on the Web. It is often difficult to determine authorship
of Web sources, and even if the author is listed, he or she may not always represent him or
herself honestly, or he or she may represent opinions as fact.

How will you evaluate the information found in the internet?

1. Authorship - It is critical to relate the ideas you find at a site to a particular author,
organization, or business. In this way, there is a degree of accountability for
any of the ideas expressed. Be especially wary of sites in which the author
or sponsoring organization is not clearly stated.
2. Publishing body - Anyone with an Internet Service Provider (AT&T, UP.net, NMU,etc.)
can put up a web page. As a result, you need to have some idea
whether the group claiming responsibility for the information of the
Web site is legitimate.
3. Accuracy and Verifiability - A source of information is known to be scholarly when it provides
references to the information presented. In this way, the reader can
confirm whether the information is accurate or the author's
conclusions reasonable. A page without references still may be
useful as an example of the ideas of an individual, organization, or
business, but not as source of factual information.

4. Currency - Some information is very time sensitive. For example, a page talking
about the top rate Web search engines in 1997 is going to be
horribly out of date in 2000. There have been incredible changes in
search engine technology and new developments appear almost
monthly. However, a page discussing the Civil War is likely still
relevant today even if the page was created in 1996 and has not
been updated. Regardless, a site should always provide some
indication of when the information was created or the site was last
updated.

SKILLS IN DETERMINING THE RELIABILITY OF INFORMATION

 Check the Author
 Check the Date of Publication or of update
 Check for Citations
 Check the Domain or owner of the site/page.
.com – commercial
. edu - educational
.mil - military
.gov – government

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 .org - nonprofit organization

SKILLS IN DETERMINING THE ACCURATE INFORMATION

 Look for facts.
 Cross-reference with other source for consistency.
 Determine the reason for writing and publishing the
information.
 Check for advertising. Advertisers may use related
information to market their product.

Other alternative forms of communication and distribution have become popular. These include
social media, blogs, and flash mob performances. These alternative forms provide greater freedom
and power to ordinary individuals and are a quicker way of distributing information. The downside
is that a lot of the information being passed around is biased and inaccurate.

ACCURACY, RELIABILITY AND VALUE OF INFORMATION

Although, the value of information would also depend on the need of the user but these are the key
skills to better get the rightful information that you need to:

1. Reliability of information - Information is said to be reliable if it can be verified and

evaluated. Others refer to the trustworthiness of the source in
evaluating the reliability of information.

2. Accuracy of information - Accuracy refers to the closeness of the report to the actual data.
Measurement of accuracy varies, depending on the type of
information being evaluated. Forecasts are said to be accurate if
the report is similar to the actual data. Financial information is
considered accurate if the values are correct, properly classified,
and presented.

3. Value of information - Information is said to be of value if it aids the user in making or

improving decisions.

4. Authority of the source - Much of the information we gather daily do not come from a
primary source but are passed on through secondary sources
such as writers, reporters, and the like. Sources with an
established expertise on the subject matter are considered as
having sound authority on the subject.

5. Timeliness - Reliability, accuracy, and value of information may vary based on

the time it was produced or acquired. While a piece of
information may have been found accurate, reliable, and
valuable during the time it was produced, it may become
irrelevant and inaccurate with the passing of time (thus making
it less valuable). Other information may be timeless, proven to be
the same in reliability, accuracy, and value throughout history.

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SAMPLE OUTPUT

Community Problem: Severe flooding during rainy days due to blocked drainages.

Vicinity: Lapiz St. Oleander Village, Barangay. Pulo, Quezon City

Campaign Name: “Anti-flooding Movement”

Type of Social Media Used: Blogging

Website Used: Wordpress

2.
1.
3. What will be the content of your Social Media site?
It will contain pictures of the flooded area during rainy days. It will also contain pictures of the drainages that are
blocked with garbage. I also plan to update it every once in a while. Anyone who views the site will be able to comment
on these updates.

1.
3.
2. Why did you choose that type of Social Media?
People in my community are avid readers of blogs. Most of them follow several blogs that concern the community.

3. Why did you choose that website?

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Wordpress. Unlike other blogging platforms, has some mores “serious feel” to it. It also contains professional –looking
templates that will fit the serious tone of my campaign.